CU: No Pac-10 invite yet

Regents, officials meet in private to discuss legal options

From left to right Andy Barnard from Sink Combs Dethlefs, an architecture company, stands with CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano, CU President Bruce Benson, and CU athletic director Mike Bohn at the groundbreaking event for the new Coors events Center practice facility on March 25, 2010.
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Stephen Swofford
)

DENVER -- University of Colorado leaders and members of the Board of Regents had little to say following a 2½-hour meeting called Tuesday night to discuss the possibilities and ramifications of realignment and expansion in athletic conferences across the nation.

The meeting was conducted almost entirely in executive session with the board`s legal counsel making "attorney-client privilege" a popular phrase afterward.

CU president Bruce Benson took two questions from reporters before handing off to spokesman Ken McConnellogue.

"There is a lot of buzz going on and we just need to sit down and talk," Benson said, characterizing the meeting.

Benson would not say whether CU has received an invitation to join another conference, but McConnellogue later said the school has not received any such invitation.

McConnellogue also said the Big 12 Conference has not given CU any kind of deadline to pledge its allegiance to the league. CU never has wavered from its stance that it is a proud member of the Big 12 in its current form.

"Sure, right now we`re committed members of the Big 12," McConnellogue said.

Nebraska and Missouri reportedly have been given a deadline of this Friday to make a decision about their future. It`s unclear what the repercussions might be if those schools make no decision, but it`s likely there wouldn`t be any. The Big 12 bylaws don`t address the issue.

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CU chancellor Phil DiStefano and athletic director Mike Bohn also participated in what served as a briefing of the board and president but also became a roundtable discussion of different scenarios and how they might affect the school and its athletic department. Members and administrators left the meeting very much in wait-and-see mode.

The board took no official action and doesn`t expect to any time in the immediate future, McConnellogue said.

A report in Texas citing anonymous sources Tuesday speculated that CU was about to accept an invitation from the Pac-10 and that an announcement was planned for today.

Steve Bosley, chair of the Board of Regents, said he "doesn`t know anything about" an announcement planned for today. He said there was no vote at the meeting, as the regents cannot vote in closed session, and there are no meetings scheduled to further debate or vote on any decisions related to the conferences in the next few weeks.

"There`s a lot of publicity and discussion in the media about what`s going to happen," Bosley said. "Our legal team advised us of all of our options, and we have to see how it unfolds. It`s a moving target."

Regent Jim Geddes said there was some discussion among the regents about CU`s options, but most of the meeting was taken up with receiving legal advice. He said he couldn`t talk about what was discussed without violating attorney-client privilege, and it "would not be fruitful or productive" to discuss his personal views.

Regent Kyle Hybl also said he couldn`t discuss the meeting without violating attorney-client privilege.

"The purpose of tonight`s meeting is to understand our legal options, depending on how things play out," he said. "There are a lot of things in play right now."

Colorado is one of many schools around the nation waiting for some decisions to be made by the Big Ten and Pac-10 Conferences regarding their desire to expand. Both of those conferences have targeted Big 12 Conference schools.

Colorado is a logical target for Pac-10 expansion because of its tradition in athletics, its strong academic foundation, the culture of the school and the Boulder community and its proximity to the 16th largest television market in the U.S.

Missouri and Nebraska are candidates to join the Big Ten.

One scenario reported last week features the Pac-10 inviting Colorado, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State to form a super conference. Another scenario has Baylor replacing Colorado in that mix.

Baylor supporters and Texas lawmakers have been vocal in recent days in their attempts to make sure the school isn`t left behind by its fellow Big 12 South Division members.

Colorado has done no public lobbying and has no plans to.

"I think the fact that our Board of Regents is meeting tonight and having discussions about this shows that the university is engaged," McConnellogue said. "Are we engaged in a public way with lawmakers? No. Baylor is doing what Baylor needs to do."

If Colorado was passed over by the Pac-10 or left out in the cold in some other conference realignment or expansion scenario, one doomsday scenario could be ending up in the Mountain West Conference with Colorado State, Air Force and Wyoming.

The Mountain West is not a BCS conference, though it could be with significant expansion, but it probably wouldn`t be able to provide the same kind of revenue CU currently gets in the Big 12 because its schools aren`t connected with enough large television markets.

McConnellogue left no doubt CU wants to remain in a BCS conference, but he said there is no formal plan in place for making sure that happens. He attempted to ease the anxiety some Colorado fans might be feeling through all the speculation.

"CU fans can be assured that the leadership of the institution is having serious discussions and they are extremely engaged in this issue," McConnellogue said.

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